Japantown has faded over the decades but still has some interesting stores. Nijiya is the main market (Mitsuwa is better/bigger but they're in the South Bay).
There's a crepe place in the JapanTown mall, last I was there.

It's November now but in the Summer I like going to the original Swensens on Union & Hyde and then walking around Russian hill area with my ice cream.

So many nice houses to ogle and it's under 2 miles to the stairs up Pacific Heights:

Obviously the core touristy stuff like Fishermans Wharf, cable car, golden Gate Bridge, crab salad, sourdough clam chowder. Things you can easily Google. The north side is the most expensive portion of the city. Marina Green/Crissy fields is a great spot to bike and there is an indoor climbing facility. On a nice day, there may be 1000 boats out in the bay.

The best view of the city is in Diamond Heights near twin peaks, the other side of Golden Gate Bridge park and from treasure Island. My dream is to own a Diamond Heights with top/bottom windows overlooking the skyline.

But since you come from New York, you probably want to absorb the culture and visit the Castro, North Beach, chinatown and the mission. Japantown is not really all that japanese.

If you want to visit the culture even more, you may want to do asia SF or dare I say p exchange.

If you grab a car, you should head northeast to Napa/Sonoma for one of a few known wine region of the world. People travel to France for the Chateus like they do for lock bridge and the historic building , if you travel to SFBA, you should hit napa valley. The grape of choice here are Cabernets. Ride the wine train, spa/golf in the resorts, take a hot air balloon ride or just drink and cheese up.

If you really have more days to travel a little further, you should head a little north to see the biggest trees in the world, the giant sequioa and visit the national parks like crane lake. That may not be everyones thing.

Acrophobia sucks, so I won't be biking across the bridges or taking any balloon rides. ;-)

I have a rental car, is parking going to be a problem near golden gate park?

Hit and miss depending on what's going on but usually not great. You might be able to find street parking in the avenues or Cabrillo street if you hunt around and don't mind walking a few blocks. There's usually room at the De Young garage (entrance at 8th and Fulton) if you can't find street parking.

Any Bay Area Patnet members want to meet me for lunch tomorrow? Or maybe that's a bad idea to give up Internet anonymity. Maybe I'll just take a picture of myself in front of a famous landmark, like when Patrick himself visited the Fed in DC.

Go hike around mt tam. Seriously. Besides the views, you're not gonna find anything in sf that's better than ny in terms of food and certainly not night life. Just north of the city though, Marin county offers outstanding hiking and biking.

Touristy Neighborhoods/Areas but tourists go there for a reason
1. North Beach (yum-- pasta!)
2. Chinatown
3. Fisherman's wharf (get some good seafood on the street!)
4. Cliff House/Ocean beach - amazing views of the Pacific Ocean - Lands End is a beautiful short hike
5. November but you can check out the beaches - Baker beach, Ocean Beach, China Beach
6. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge
7. Check out Coit Tower - nice views here
8. If you want to drive up a mountain for some killer views and nature hikes, there is Mt. Tam 15 min north which is gorgeous, and if you are willing to go further 1 hour east and higher there is Mt. Diablo near city of Danville which is an amazing day trip and some killer views.

There is much more stuff -- it depends on what you are in to doing.

Lastly, I tell this to everyone: If you really, really want to know what it is like to live in San Francisco, and really want to have an idea of the people, take the muni (not just the trolley, not bart, but the underground or the surface street buses).